SAS domains generally employ multiple target devices (e.g., storage devices) which may be accessed by initiators of host systems through one or more expanders in order to read and write data. Some SAS domains are “deeply cascaded” in that several tiers of expanders separate the host initiators from the target devices and form a “switched fabric” that can be switch data between target devices and initiators of the domain. The expanders perform a discovery process that allows the expanders to “map” all of the devices in the domain such that connections between target devices and initiators can be established. Typically, the connections between target devices and initiators are arbitrated because target devices may need to connect to the same initiators at the same time. Occasionally, however, initiators fail during normal operations in the SAS domain and arbitration wait times can increase dramatically and cripple the operations of the SAS domain because the target devices end up continually attempting to connect to an initiator that is no longer present when discovery is being attempted.